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chookchook2
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
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Moving toilet on a concrete slab foundation
Comments (42)Hi Cath The 3 quotes you have are from a builder and 2 renovating companies? As we said previously, the main thing to focus on is that now you know some of the requirements, you are really faced with deciding between a cosmetic renovation and a rework of the entire layout. Each has its (layout) advantages and (cost) disadvantages. The real issue here is which option do you actually want (and fits within the budget) for your project? Once you decide that you can explore all your options and then you can move forward. Regarding your comments about the quotes, the 2nd and 3rd quotes appear to be cosmetic because they are not moving plumbing. That's always going to be cheaper. Just because they are not quoting on relocating things though doesn't make them cheaper... Apple vs apples.... Regarding conflicting comments about 'weakening the slab', it depends on what type of slab you have. If it is eg a Melbourne waffle/raft slab then it needs a review of the original drawings and an engineer detail/ certification that cutting it is ok.... neither of which is a very big undertaking. If it is a simple 100mm slab then it is no big deal to sort. The reality for you in this is that at the moment you are on a learning curve, getting a little bit of info from each of the people you have spoken to. Without knowing what state you are in and what type of home you have then they could conceivably all be telling you the truth. Yes, if you need to alter the plumbing then you obviously need to deal with the slab. Yes if you want to have a walk in shower you need to lower the plumbing as we said earlier and it means you need to deal with the slab to do so. Yes if you have a waffle slab you need to allow for it to be cut and reinforced properly. You may well need to reinforce the slab, and any modifications to it may cost, hence your builders quote taking that into account. Whether you can fit that in the budget will determine whether you can change the layout or not, and whether you do the plumbing. If not then a cosmetic reno will be limited to tiling at the same heights by either replacing the base with screed to create fall as one has suggested or tiling over another base ( I wouldn't do this). Ultimately if reworking the layout blows the budget then many people here will be able to suggest amazing cosmetic changes to create the wow factor your job deserves. Your next step is to make the decision on which way you want to go so that the Houzzers here can give you lots more ideas... Cheers...See MoreOpening up the kitchen - please comment on the design
Comments (10)oklouise and dreamer, thank you so much for your input! Sorry I disappeared for a while, the weekend was a little crazy, also a lot to process after your suggestions. oklouise, your idea to turn the island 90 degrees is genius! I was obviously mentally stuck on the existing wall and could only imagine the island going along (instead of) it, not across it. I can see the beauty of the suggestion to use that whole "left" wall for the kitchen. I have even walked the rooms imagining how it could work. However after much thinking and discussions with my husband, we prefer to have the living/TV area in that corner rather than in the open area as suggested. Again, I see how this suggestion will work beautifully for many families but not for us. Also, the window in the living area (on the left wall) is 190cm wide and floor to ceiling, and looks into a park. It's the top floor and no neighbours on that side, the view is lovely and we would really like to keep it unobstructed. dreamer, thank you for the idea of a portable island. However, I am very keen on having a second sink and there seems to be no other place for it (provided I'm sticking with what ). Also I thought I'd have a couple of power points there to be able to use my appliances, also it'll be around 2m long, so probably either way too big to be portable. For now I've used oklouise's fantastic suggestion and rotated the island, and made it smaller, now it perfectly aligns with the window on the left and the door at the bottom of the plan. It now looks like there is quite enough space to have a proper dining table to the right of the kitchen. What do you think? I'm providing the current floor plan with the dimensions, the grey area is the existing kitchen/dining footprint. This plan is accurate (done by an experienced person) but my design is probably off as I'm not experienced at all, was just playing with some ideas and a design tool....See MoreWhat should we do with our excess artwork?
Comments (6)I took all mine out of the frames and placed them in a folio. When I need a change I swap them into the frames on the wall. I never get bored. You can't do this with some mediums such as oil and charcoal as they will damage. I also took photos and turned them into a coffee table book. Kate...See MoreKitchen design dilemma - is a scullery worth it?
Comments (11)Hmm... as much as I agree that a scullery in the original plans is wasted space the location of the laundry illogical (where is the clothesline, not down the side of the house with its 1m distance to the boundary that's for sure). I'm not sure the second version is really much better. Here's why.... 1. The scullery looks like it's there just to make use of what would otherwise be a useless space in the plans. Typical builders solution, make it into some fashionable do-dad so it looks logical. 2. The laundry behind kitchen makes sense from the plumbing point of view but otherwise it terribly placed. I wouldn't want to walk through my kitchen to do a load of washing. And where is the clothesline? Miles away down the back of the house with the only route between it and the laundry either through the living room or by circumnavigating the entire house via a tiny walkway down the side. Neither are really good solutions. 3. But removing the scullery doesn't actually make your kitchen any larger. All the builder has done is pushed the original floorplan to the back wall, creating a slightly wider walkway in front of the island. wasted space again. 4. Shoehorning the laundry between the bedrooms is also a terrible placement for it. Ideally the laundry should be at the rear entrance to the house close to the clothesline. When you have a large heavy basket of wet washing you don't want to be walking the whole 30m length of your block to hang it out. I'll be honest the floor plan isnt fantastic. That dog leg hallway between the bedrooms created solely because of the pokey family bathroom with no toilet in it. A master ensuite that dwarfs the family bathroom by miles....just why? Shouldn't the most heavily used bathroom in the home actually be as large as an ensuite at least. A laundry accessible only through the kitchen and miles from the clothesline. But of the two plans the original is the least awful just because it places the laundry as far back as possible and it doesn't cost you any extra. These are the problems of using stock plans but you can always accept the layout as is and change it later if it becomes unlivable. If I didn't specifically need a scullery I would forgoe the planned sink in it and instead have it fitted out with cupboards for extra storage space. That way it can be used for any purpose. Who needs a scullery when we have dishwashers?...See Moreroxsol
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